Chapter 174: Colonization

After six months of negotiation, England, France, and Austria finally reached a preliminary agreement. On December 12, 1875, representatives of the three countries signed the "Memorandum for Resolving International Conflicts" in Paris.

This memorandum, in essence, could also be seen as a draft of an international convention, clarifying the rules for the scramble for colonies. The law of the jungle was still inevitable, only now it was cloaked in a veneer of legal rationale.

Namely:

1. Actual occupation is the criterion, whereby the first to occupy shall have precedence;

2. Current colonial power ranges are to be used as the standard, with mutual recognition of one another's sovereignty;

3. Any interference in the internal affairs of the colonies is forbidden; (Note: specifically, this includes forbidding the support of local powers, smuggling of weapons, and the export of nationalism...)